The City | Zouis

Chapter 1

(Chapter and authors note written by britishmusiclover)

I’M SO FREAKING EXCITED! Idk if any of u guys have looked at my profile, but its pretty pathetic. I have two other stories, both of them het. They don’t have many reads or anything and I’m not crazy interested in updating them, although I do have a schedule for writing that I follow pretty well. ANYWAY for those of you who don’t know, I’m Anne, aka britishmusiclover! I’d like to give a zillion thanks to rebel_girl for making the cover to my story Supernatural Attraction and for pointing me towards Siren and Aphrodite for this collab! Alright usually my authors notes won’t be so long… I just wanted to introduce myself. Feel free to ask me questions on my profile; I’ll answer all of you. I hope you enjoy my writing!

  Louis woke up to four little girls screaming, and he panicked as he ran into the room adjacent to his.

  “Girls what is it!?” He asks at the four of them standing together in a huddle on their cot, protecting each other as they look down. They suddenly scream again, causing Louis to wince at the ear-piercing noise. He follows their line of vision to a small black beetle on the ground and sighs, grabbing a sandal and squishing it.

  “Lottie! Fizz! You couldn’t have taken care of this for your little sisters? Saturdays are my only day to sleep in!” Louis whines, shaking the sandal outside the window in an attempt to be rid of the bug - but unfortunately it’s squashed and stuck.

  “Louis you know that Dad was always the one to get the bugs.” At the mention of their father, Louis’ face drops and he nods.

  It’s been 16 months since he left with their mother, and Louis has yet to tell the twins that mummy daddy aren’t coming back. Even Lottie and Fizz hold out hope that one day their beloved parents will return, but alas it does not seem to be. In fact, Louis decided that he doesn’t want them to come back. Louis decided that he hated them the moment they decided to pursue the city without their children.

  “Louis, we’ll come back for you.” His father had told him.

  “Boobear dearest, I could never leave you and the girls. My little angels, all of you. We’re coming back, I promise.” His mother assured him.

  Bullshit. All of it. Louis knew it. Nobody had ever returned to the city, not a single person. Hell, nobody had even received a letter. No confirmation that they were alive, or that was anything on the other side of the vast land that separated the civilizations. People don’t even claim to have seen the City before, because nobody would give them the time of day. 43 people had left for the City, 45 including the Tomlinsons, and nobody had heard from them again. The first to leave was over 50 years ago.

  Oh, there were rumors. There were rumors galore. The main topic of conversation in the Village is the things that go on in the City. Some believe that it’s another planet. Some believe that it’s a portal to another dimension, or an alien abduction site. There are rumors of unending paradise and beauty, while others tell of a torturous hellfire and endless torment. There are even some who believe that the whole thing is a myth; that once you’ve passed the horizon you have dropped off the face of the Earth.

  Louis wasn’t quite sure what he believed, or if he even believed anything. He simply tried to push it out of his mind, and stick with taking care of the four little girls his parents have left behind.

  Louis decided that since he was already up, he would see what he can make for breakfast for the girls and himself. Once arriving in the kitchen, he looks into the fridge and sighs at what he sees; milk, eggs, fruit, a few veggies, and a pack of cold meats. It was pretty bare in there. He sighs and moves on to the freezer, seeing frozen waffles, a turkey, and frozen juice. He settles on frozen waffles and pops some in the toaster for the girls.